Ask the Marauders > March 10, 2006

James: Ahem, we have some important business to attend to before we launch into this week's AtM.

Sirius: Yes, most important business.

Remus: What are you two gits on about now?

James: Shall we let that insult slide because of what day it is?

Remus: Day? It's Friday.... oh. Haha... I forgot.

Sirius: *shakes head* Moony, Moony, Moony... How can you forget your own birthday?

Remus: *sigh* I have enough to remember while keeping track of you two.

James: Ah, well. Happy birthday, mate.

Sirius: Here, we even made you a pudding! *holds out the pudding*

Remus: It's not going to eat me, blow up in my face, or turn me strange colors, is it?

Sirius: What do you take us for?

Remus: Charlatans?

James: No, it's just chocolate pudding. If you were Snape, it'd be hexed, but we don't hex our own.

Sirius: Unless we start a pranking war, but not on birthdays. Besides, we know you would hurt us.

Remus: Well, thanks then. *happily eats his chocolate pudding*

From: Person that's askin'
Sooooo.... What were Luna Lovegood's parents like at Hogwarts?

Sirius: Lovegood? Wasn't he that nut that kept trying to publish a school paper with all these crazy stories in it?

Remus: Maybe? I don't remember much about the guy who did that.

James: Yeah, I think we're thinking of the same nutter. He was nice enough, but a little strange. I don't know who he married, so I can't say much about Luna's mum.

Lily: She must either be very understanding of him, or just as strange. Not that it's bad to be strange.

Peter: I was going to say, you did marry Prongs.

Lily: *shrugs* I suppose insanity is contageous?

Remus: That would explain why you always question MY sanity, Lils.

James: *mock pouts*

Lily: *grins*

From: Katie
James, has Sirius ever taken away your glasses and as a result, you walked into a wall in front of Lily before you two were dating?

James: He hasn't stolen my glasses since first year. I hexed him pretty badly when he did it.

Remus: And I had to unhex him.

Sirius: I just wanted to try them on. Almost went blind looking through those suckers.

James: Yes, well, I have a bit of a strong prescription. Can't really help that.

Lily: I don't think lack of eyewear has made you walk into walls in front of me in the past. That's not to say that you haven't walked into things while I was around. *smiles*

James: ...

Peter: You were a bit of a clutz around Lily.

Sirius: A bit? There's an understatement.

James: Well, you lot weren't very supportive of me. Would rather make fun of my pain. Gits.

Remus: Of course. Your clumsy antics were amusing.

Lily: And rather endearing...when you weren't torturing Slytherins, of course.

From: Stevie
Have you ever gone on a muggle camping trip?

Lily: I have. But then again, I'm Muggleborn, so that's not so strange.

Peter: I'd be scared of wild animals trying to eat me in the night.

James: Wormtial, you run around with a pack of wild animals every month, not to mention a werewolf. How can you be scared of wild animals?

Peter: Don't make fun. I just am. I'm the smallest, remember? Sure, a stag or a gigantic dog has less to fear from nature than a little rat.

Sirius: He does have a point.

James: Ah well. We're getting away from the question. I haven't been on a camping trip Muggle-style. Only been on wizarding ones with the nice tents that are huge on the inside. Isn't magic grand?

Remus: I've gone on muggle-style camping trips on occasion. I think they're more fun.

From: Coconuts
What kills more people each year, coconuts or sharks?

James: Well this is a strange question.

Sirius: I'd like to say sharks, but they maim. I think only a couple dozen people die from shark attacks a year.

Peter: But getting struck on the head by a coconut? I'm sure that could render someone comotose, maybe crack their skull...I guess if they're left unattended, then they would die?

Remus: Coconuts kill more people than sharks do. Humans don't taste good to sharks, so they tend to avoid us.

Lily: Well, that will put a damper on any trips I take to the tropics now.

James: Don't worry, I'll protect you from the sharks AND the coconuts. *grins as he is being all manly and stuff*

Lily: Thanks, sweetie. *grins*

From: padfoot chic
This one is for Sirius and Remus. Do you ever get tired of girls getting all crazy over you? I mean you are two of my favorite characters, but I'm not one of the mental stalkers. Anyway, what are your thoughts on it?

Remus: I really don't care that much unless they start stalking me.

Sirius: I do like attention.

James: Yeah, well you like any type of attention. Female attention never really interested you that much.

Sirius: No time for girls, mate. Have pranks to pull.

Lily: You never grow up, do you?

Sirius: Where would the fun be in that?

From: padfoot
Now Remus, I know you love chocolate so do I but what is your favorite kind? Mine's dark chocolate personally. Please the rest of you go right ahead and answer too if you like!

Remus: Any kind of chocolate that contains cocoa solids. Which limits it to milk chocolate and dark chocolate. Dark chocolate can get a little bitter at times, but I like it better when I'm feeling out of sorts.

From: Padfoot (again?)
Okay I have to know. When did this whole pirate craze start? Sirius you can give your own comments on this(laughs) Cause I know you will anyway.

Sirius: Arr! It started way back in July of 2003, me matey.

James: *sigh*

Peter: July 15's edition, if you need to be specific.

Remus: Did Pirates of the Caribbean have any influence on that?

James: But Padfoot has always been strange, so it's hard to give an exact time for when his pirate craze started. It's best not to think about it to hard...

Sirius: Arrrr!

From: Jessie
The hat said that Slytherin only takes "purebloods" but Voldie is a "halfblood" Why is that? P.S. Snape, Robyn, and Angie, you guys can answer too. If it isn't too much of a bother!

James: I'd like to pass this one off to our lovely hostesses, as they have better theories about it.

Robyn: Thanks, James. Well, Jessie, if you're referring to Slytherin the man, not the house, then yes, he preferred to teach only 'purebloods', believing that only they had the right to use magic, etc. It's a bunch of racist/bigoted nonsense, of course. The reason that Voldemort would be taken into Slytherin house is because he's not only very cunning and ambitious--the traits that Slytherin prized in his students--but he is also the only direct descendant of Slytherin still alive. I'm sure that Slytherin would take in his scion, especially if he was willing to disown his Muggle hertiage as completely as Voldemort did.

There have been powerful people in history that cover up their pasts when they contain elements in common with the people that they are oppressing, the most noted example being Adolf Hitler. [And there has been many a discussion about the parallels between not only Hilter and Voldemort, but also World War II and the defeat of the dark wizard Grindewald in 1945.]

Angie: What can I add that Robyn hasn't already? Probably more information on Slytherin the house, I suppose. *sigh* Might as well. Slytherin the house really doesn't care much about the origin of the students, especially if you consider Snape as head of Slytherin house. The house cares more about the attributes of the students--cunning, ambition, deviousness, in short Machiavellian people.

And it's not just powerful people who try to cover up their pasts. To relate this to modern-day issues, the most intolerant people are the ones who realize that they are exactly what they fear most--such as staunch anti-GLBT people who are that way BECAUSE they have GLBT tendencies. It's an extreme form of self-hatred.

From: scorpio
In July 2003 you talked about signs... Remus, what do you have against scorpios?

Remus: Actually, that's a bit of a joke. *chuckles* Our hostess Robyn is a Scorpio, and it was a little joke at her expense.

Robyn: Rawr! Very funny... Yes, I am a Scorpio, which means I'm fiesty. Heh...

From: Meggy S.
Last weeks Sirius said "Harry is like a mini-Prongs..." How do you come up with that? Harry's never hung someone upside down with their underwear showing merely because the person "existed."

Sirius: What I meant was that he's brash, a natural leader, people are drawn to him. All like how Prongs was. But yeah, there are differences.

James: For instance, I was a total prat when I was 15, but Harry was much more level headed already at 11 then I was. Or at least quieter and not obnoxious. It's due to the environment he grew up in. I'd wager that he would have turned out almost the same had Lily and I raised him, as Lily wouldn't have let him be a git like I was at school. Then again, I'd grown up a bit by the time that Harry was born. Besides, Lily wouldn't have even dated me if I hadn't. *grins*

Lily: Haha, that's true. Harry obviously is more internal with his reactions to people, but he does have some of the same reactions to people that James has. Though, to be truthful, Snape was rather rude to him from the moment he started classes, but Harry had never even seen the man before.

Remus: Doesn't help that Harry looks almost exactly like Prongs, too. Plus Harry has a good deal of Prongs' personality with the exception of total prat-ness. It's a shame Harry is becoming so angsty that he could turn goth at any moment.

From: Insane_silver
Snape, if you had to choose between
A) a day with the Marauders,
B) Death by fiery monkeys, or
C) Loudly annoucing to a crowded room how very much you love fuzzie kitties and proceeding to do the corresponding song and dance routine,
which would you choose?

Snape: .....

James: Well, it's not A.

Sirius: And I somehow doubt that he'd like to die, so B is right out.

Peter: I can't see him answering C, though.

Snape: If I was allowed to torment them, I would choose A. Otherwise, C is alright if I can then Obliviate everyone that witnessed the outburst.

Remus: And if you tormented us, we'd torment you right back.

From: Mayella Lestrange
Peter, what do you think you'd be doing in the future if you had never gone to the dark side (even if they do have cookies)?

Peter: Probably working in some clerical job in the Ministry? And working for the Order, even though I'm not very brave.

James: You're brave enough. You just need positive reinforcement.

Peter: I guess. *smiles*

Remus: Of course. You were sorted into the same house as all of us insane people.

Lily: I don't think Gryffindor is the house of the insane. It's supposed to be the house of the brave...

James: Right. We're brave to the point of stupidity, so doesn't that make us insane by default?

Lily: ...

From: hp freak
Do you like sushi ?

Sirius: Is that the raw fish stuff?

Lily: Yes, it is raw fish much of the time. I've had it, but I don't particularly like fish raw.

James: I don't like fish much to begin with, but the vegetable rolls seem to be alright.

Peter: I'm a little uncertain about the seaweed.

Remus: I'm uncertain about the stuff you dip the sushi in. Angie made it once and she nearly blew her head off.

Angie: *sticks her tongue out* Okay, so I forgot to add enough soy sauce to properly dilute the wasabi. BIIIIG deal.....

Sirius: I like the egg one. The tamagoyaki? I think that's what it's called...

From: Meowmeow
Do you think Harry would have been better off if he hadn't been in the TriWizard Tournement?

James: Gee, participate in a tournament that has been known to be dangerous and sometimes fatal, and also at the end get a surprise guest appearance of not only a number of Death Eaters, but Voldemort hismself? Or, stay on the sidelines, cheer for Diggory, and Voldemort stays a deformed fetus? Is this a trick question?

Sirius: Voldemort would have found another way to get to Harry if he didn't participate in the Tournament. You know that.

James: But at least maybe Diggory would have lived.

Sirius: Fair point.

Remus: And maybe Harry wouldn't be as at-risk of turning goth.

Lily: Well, wouldn't you be emo after a classmate is killed before your eyes and then no one believes that Voldemort is back? I'm surprised he wasn't emo after Sirius had his veily encounter.

Sirius: Yes, well, I'd rather him get revenge on Bella for me than sit around moping for eternity. Not as fun to watch from my poofy cloud.

From: Sivaroobini Kalaimani
Just what is the colour of Sirius's eyes?! Some fanfic authors have it grey, some have black, and some have blue. Most go with dark grey, but I thought I'd ask Sirius himself. ;-

Sirius: They're grey. Jo said it herself at some point and the Lexicon has it listed as such.

James: Robyn thought they were light blue, yeah?

Sirius: Well, hers are blue and sometimes appear greyish, so it's not an unreasonable guess for 'pale eyes'. That's all they got in the books, I think.

Remus: Plus when it comes to pale eyes, they can change between light blue and greyish easily.